Vintage Clarets scores repeat win in Catterick Dash for top-of-the-table Burnley fan

Vintage Clarets wins the William Hill Catterick Dash more comfortably than he did in 2023Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

It was almost a perfect day for Burnley season-ticket holder Alan Tattersall, whose team won at Sheffield Wednesday and his evergreen sprinter Vintage Clarets scored a repeat win in the Catterick Dash.

It could only have been improved on had he also been able to go to Hillsborough, where the footballing Clarets' 2-0 success took them to the top of the Championship.

"I wanted to go and I had a ticket but my wife said: 'No, you're not going, you're coming here', so I sent it back," he said. "But I've had a double up. It's been a fantastic day."

Vintage Clarets, who was third in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old and is still thriving at five, took his earnings to more than £240,000 with the ninth win of his career, coming home a length clear in a contest he had taken by just a short head 12 months earlier.

"It was a bit easier this year," said jockey Oisin Orr, who was also on board then. "His last couple of runs were good, he enjoys that ground, he broke well and I was able to get the run of the race."

Trainer on the up

Success is breeding success for Craig Lidster, who increased his personal-best seasonal tally of winners to 29 when Jachin took the 7f maiden.

Progressive sprinter Alfa Kellenic completed a six-timer in last month's Ayr Silver Cup for a man who sent out his first winner only in 2022 and the trainer said: "It's been a good year.

"I hope we'll get past the 30-barrier before the season is out, we've still got a few winners left to come."

Jachin was Craig Lidster's 29th winner of the seasonCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Asked if his good form was attracting more horses, he said: "Put it this way, we've been full all year with 60 boxes, we've built another ten to take us up to 70 and we expect to be full next year.

"We're up to 21 yearlings and we may look at some breeze-up horses. Alfa Kellenic is on holiday at Cliff Stud and she's exciting to look forward to next year. She'll start in a Listed race and work her way up."

Worth waiting for

Racing was originally scheduled to start at 11am but the first race was put back to 1pm when the midweek abandonment of Newton Abbot left a gap in the 2pm-4pm premierisation window.

A healthy afternoon crowd turned out for the course's biggest Flat day of the year, although chief executive James Sanderson reported: "One couple who had booked tickets but couldn't stay to the new end time called and we gave them a refund."

The sun shone but 22mm of rain in the previous 48 hours left the ground soft, heavy in places and after 9-1 shot Obligatory beat 4-5 favourite Glowchester, trainer Tim Easterby's son and assistant William said: "I said beforehand the best four-wheel-drive would win this.

"We knew he'd go on the ground – he's a grand horse who had course-and-distance form in the soft."

The yard also struck with Vince Le Prince and Count D'Orsay.

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